Conflict in Virtual Teams: Prevention Is The Best Cure
Conflict in teams working virtually tends to be hidden or amplified. Distance can aggravate even minor conflicts, so anticipating and dealing with conflict as early as possible is crucial. Identifying issues that cause friction is a good start, as is paying close attention for any signs that some team members are not happy (e.g., missed meetings, confrontation, defensiveness, silence).
In this article we look at likely sources of conflicts in virtual teams, distinguish between destructive and constructive conflict, and finally examine how to manage conflict constructively.
For further information on TMA's learning solutions for preventing and managing inter-personal or team conflict, please contact Steven Parkinson at sparkinson@tmaworld.com.
Likely Sources of Conflict in Teams Working Virtually
- Isolation: Members feel disconnected from the team creating anxiety, frustration, and even hostility
- Fragmentation: Without clear purpose, direction, priorities, roles and responsibilities, etc., team members may well follow their own agendas and work against each other
- Confusion: Unless communication is clear and precise, misunderstandings will create chaos and anger
Distinguish Between Destructive and Constructive Conflict
To tell the difference between the two types of conflict, we must look at outcomes:
Destructive Conflict
Too Much Conflict
- Divides the team
- Deepens differences
- Destroys relationships
- Distracts the team from critical issues
- Destroys motivation and morale
Too Little Conflict
- Not enough challenging of what already exists
- Not enough innovation and risk taking
- Unresponsiveness to change
Constructive Conflict
- Clarifies a situation
- Generates new ideas, options, solutions
- Fully engages team members on important topics
- Results in learning and richer communication
- Builds team cohesion
- Opens up issues to new ways of thinking and doing
Managing Conflict Constructively
Objective: Using conflict to increase openness, learning, communication, innovation and productivity
Diagnosing
Challenge: To understand what is happening and why?
Guideline: Be curious rather than furious
Rather than getting angry or giving in, look at the conflict objectively. Take the powerful step of examining the other person's point of view first:
- Analyze the people involved (including yourself, if appropriate) and their perceptions of the situation
- Understand the context in which the conflict is emerging
- Assess the intensity - is it a nuisance, a challenge, or a war? What is the current intensity of the conflict?
- Assess the scope - Is there a potential for the conflict to grow and spill-over to others? Is there potential for long-lasting damage to relationships on the team?
Strategizing
Challenge: responding to the conflict in a way that will most likely get a positive outcome
Guideline: Approach the conflict in the spirit of 'side-by-side' problem solving rather than confrontation
We need to be flexible. One approach to handling conflict won't be appropriate for all situations. Options for handling conflict are:
- Avoiding
- Accommodating
- Competing
- Collaborating
- Compromising
Factors to consider when you are choosing an approach or mix of approaches are:
- Urgency (how much time is available?)
- Importance of the relationship
- Importance of the goal
- Power differences
Solving
Challenge: Transforming conflict from threat to opportunity
Guideline: Make it easy to say yes, hard to say no
Constructive conflict can only be achieved through constructive communication.
Bring out the best in people by:
- Building a climate of openness and respect
- Being hard on issues, soft on people
- Involving the other person in finding a solution
- Listening before speaking
- Using language and behaviors that promote dialogue rather than debate
- Building bridges between different values and interests
- Responding thoughtfully rather than reacting; staying calm in difficult situations
- Controlling the ego